Elevating and discharging apparatus.



M. NOELLB.

ELBVATING AND DISOHARGING APPARATUS.

7 APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1913. 1,103,6 16. Patented July 14, 1914,

6 SHEET$-SHEET 1.

M. NOELLE.

ELEVATING AND DISGHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION I'ILEI) AUG 19, 1913.

1, 1 03,6 1 6. Patented July 14, 1914,

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2v --Fia. IL-

THE mmms PETERS co, WASHINGTON, 04 c.

M. NOELLE.

ELBVATING AND DISGHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MTG. 19, 1913.

1,103,616. Patented July 14,191L

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wM/RAL/JAM/ Q 6W Wm mnufw M .rus mamas PETERS ca, WASNINFION, n. c.

M. NOELLE.

ELEVATING AND DISGHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1913.

Patented July 14, 1914 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

m 7 8 f/ai THE Nukms'l ETL-Rs cc, WASHINGTON, n. c

M. NOELLE.

ELEVATING AND DISGHARGING APPARATUS,

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1918. v 1,193,616, Patented July 14,1914.

' 5 BHEETSSHEET.6.

mm mm III/III. is

mp: Nwams PETERS 5a., WASHINGTON. 0. c.

MAX NOELLE, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELEVATING AND DISCHARGING APPARATUS.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented July 14, 19 14..

Application filed August 19, 19113. .Seria1'l Io.'785;510.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAX NonLLn, engineer, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at 36 Victoria street, Westminster, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevating and Discharging Apparatus and of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for lifting and transporting buckets or charging vessels containing coke, iron ore, or other loose material and which are to be conveyed to the required elevation where they are discharged and then are to be returned to the base of the apparatus, and such apparatus is especially suitable for use as a furnace charging apparatus, where loads of material are required to be raised above the mouth of the furnace and then discharged automatically thereinto. In apparatus of this kind, it is usual for a loaded bucket to be lifted from the wheel base or truck by which it is carried, by the said bucket being connect- 'ed to a trolley mounted upon an inclined track extending up to the furnace mouth. Upon the trolley reaching a position immediately over the furnace mouth, the said bucket or charging vessel is given a downward movement, which causes it to discharge its contents automatically, such buckets being already known having cone-shaped bottoms constructed separately from their sides, a rod from such cone-shaped bottom passing through the bucket, by which rod the bucket is supported, and so that by supporting the sides stationary, and lowering the suspension rod (and of course the bottom of the bucket) the contents are emptied. The bucket having been emptied it is then can ried down the inclined track by the trolley to the truck which has been waiting in position during the whole operation. The next bucket upon its wheel base or truck is then brought into position, lifted by the trolley and discharged in a similar way. This method of elevating and discharging buckets is necessarily somewhat slow, because only one can be, dealt with at a time and the empty bucket has to be replaced on its wheel base or truck and moved away before the apparatus can deal with another bucket which has to be brought into position subsequently, and when it is desired to increase the supply of the material which is being elevated and discharged, this can only be effected by working-the apparatus at an undesirable speed.

- The object of this invention is to construct an apparatus for elevating and discharging materials which can deal with morethan one bucket at a time, it being possible with such apparatus to lift one bucket from its wheel base and while that bucket is being elevated, discharged and returned, another bucket may be elevated and started on a similar cycle of operations without interfering with the elevation and discharge of the first mentioned bucket, and the arrangement of the apparatus maybe such as to enable it to deal with several buckets simultaneously. With such apparatus therefore the handling of the buckets may proceed continuously without necessitating a period of waiting at the base of the apparatus after the departure of each bucket, and yet the speed of travel of the buckets may be considerably slower than the speed required when dealing with buckets one by one.

The present invention comprises as a primary feature the pro-vision of an endless track, upon which bucket-carrying trolleys travel and follow each other insuccessicn, the contents of the bucket carried by each trolley being, automatically emptied at a point of discharge over which the track passes, and then during the continuance of its travel depositing the empty bucket and being again connected to a filled bucket at the receiving station.

Another feature of the invention lies in the fact that the point of suspension of the bucket from its carrying trolley is caused to descend when the bucket-carrying trolley arrives over a point of discharge, which descent causes the automatic emptying oi the buckets contents, and this without stopping the traverse motion of the trolley whileeffecting such discharge, or stopping the traverse motion of the succeeding trolleys. The invention I also comprises means whereby such descent of the portion of the trolley from which the bucket is carried is effected to produce discharge, and by which the point of suspension of the trolley is again raised. Further, each trolley during the discharge operation is reversed end for end andtravels in such position on its return journey, to be again reversed prior to its next ascent with a load.

The invention further refers to the con v struction and arrangement of the parts as hereafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, v

Figures 1 and 1 show in two portions a sectional elevation of a general view a blast furnace, the supporting structure of the apparatus being omitted as unnecessary for the purpose of this description, since the framework supporting the rails and pulleys would naturally be designed by those skilled in the art to suit any particular application. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical elevation of the head of the apparatus illustrating a trolley in position, and also indicating the top of the blast furnace. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the trolleys detached, and Fig. 4 is a plan View of the said trolley. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the carrying axle of the trolley with a bucket suspended therefrom, and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line XY of Fig. The buckets employed are of that kind in which the automatic discharge of the contentsis effected by lowering the bucket vertically so as to bring its body to rest upon a supporting surface, and then continuing the downward motion of the device by which it is carried, and the type which is preferably employed in the present apparatus consists of a body portion 1, Fig. 5, having a separate conical bottom 2 carried by a ver tical suspension rod 3, capable of sliding through a bearing in a spider frame 4, the

. suspension rod being so formed at its upperend that it can be gripped by the carrying device of the trolley. It will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2 that when the body 1 ofthe bucket is brought to rest on the top structure 5, for instance, of the blast furnace illustrated in the drawings, then by permitting the suspensionrod 3 to slide vertically downward into the position indicated by dotted lines, the contents will be discharged- In the construction at the top of the furnace shown, 6 is a balanced cover for the furnace which is carried downward, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, when the bottom 2 is lowered, but it is unnecessary to further describe the construction at the-top of the furnace since thisdoes not form a feature of the present invention. Before proceeding to deal with the carrying rails, I will describe, with particular reference to Figs. 3 to 6, the construction of the trolley employed in carrying out this invention.

The trolley consists of what I will term a carrying axle7, upon the ends of which are carried two freely revolving wheels 8, Fig. 5, and upon the axle 7 is fixed a sleeve 9, around the ends of which sleeve there are fixed collars 10 of brackets 11, Fig. 4. The brackets 11 carry outwardly extending stud axles 12, upon each of which are-mounted two freely revoluble wheels 13, 14, the wheels 13 coinciding in gage with the wheels 8, and consequently the wheels 8 and 13 may be termed narrow gage wheels, the wheels 14 on the stud axles being of wider gage. The

Formed with or fixed to the brackets 11,

which form as it were apart of the framework of the trolley, are two toothed wheels 16, a gap being cut in the teeth for the passage of the axle 7. I

Centrally around the sleeve 9 of the carry ing axle is a freely revoluble carrying sleeve 17, Fig. 5, from which depends a carrier for engaging and releasing at proper timesthe head of the suspension rod 3 of the bucket. Obviously the means for engaging the said suspension rod may be infinitely varied and it might consist of simply a hook upon the end of a pendant arm 18 from the sleeve 17, which could be manually guided to engage an eye on the suspension rod end, but it is preferable that the gripping device should be such that it automatically grips and releases the suspension rod at the proper times; a simple example of such a device is shown at Figs. 5 and 6,, where at the end of the pendant arm 18 there is a yoke consisting of two downwardly extending blades 19 having returned ends, while the suspension rod is formed with a head of larger size than the rod, so that when the trolley is lowered and traversed the rod 3 will be released from the yoke, and the yoke may travel so that its blades pass each side of the suspension rod of another bucket and then, when the trolley is lifted, the head of the suspension rod will be engaged, and where the head of; the rod 3 is circular or of other suitable form the returned ends of the blades l9 may be recessed to receive the head, as indicated at 20 Fig. 6.

The track upon which such trolleys are to travel according to this invention will now be dealt with particularly referring to Figs. 1, 1 and 2. Broadly the structure of the track consists of two superposed parallel inclined girders or rail tracks extending at the top in a horizontal direction and also at the base in a horizontal direction.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 1 the upper track consists of a pair of rails 21, which are of the narrower gage, adapted to carry the trolley wheels 8 and 13, and these rails extend at the base, from the end thereof, horizontally for a distance and then pass upwardly at an incline, again horizontally for a distance and then are downwardly inclined over the mouth of the furnace and terminate at 21*, while at the opposite end the upper rails terminate at 21 The lower rails are at such a distance from the upper rails at the inclined portion of the track that the suspended buckets carried by the trolleys on the upper rails will not contact with the trolleys running on the lower rails, and the inclined portion of the lower rails consists of narrow gage rails 21 terminating at their upper ends at 21 and at their lower ends this pair of narrow gage rails terminates at 21 and it will be understood that both pairs of trolley wheels 13and 8 will be car ried upon the rails 21.

Referring to Fig. 2, which shows on a larger scale the upper head of the apparatus, two pairs of broad gage rails 22 .are provided, such as will receive the broad gage wheels 14 of the trolley but will not support the narrow gage wheels, and consequently these rails 22 will only carry the wheels 14 on the stud axles 12 of the trolley. The rails 22 form a continuation as it were of the rails 21 .at this head of theapparatus, and from 21 are bent in a compound curve, downward and then upward; that is to say one pair of track rails 22 forms a continuation of the upper rails 21 which terminate at 21 and this pair of rails 22 terminates at 22*, while the other pair of rails 22 forms a continuation of the lower track 21 from 21 and terminates at 22 and the-two pairs of rails 22 are at a distance apart throughout their length about equal to the diameter of the wheels 14 of the trolley.

Externally of the rails 22 at the head of the apparatus, I fit a curved toothed rack 23 extending from the point marked 24 to the point marked 25, and it is with this toothed rack 23 that the toothed wheels 16 of the trolley engage.

At the lower part of the apparatus, Fig. 1 the lower pair of rails21, where they extend horizontally, are for a distance bent downwardly, andit'orming a bridge across the downwardly bent part of the rails 21 and extending slightly beyond the downwardly bent part, there is fitted a pair of rails 22 calculated to support the trolley wheels 14.

At Fig. 1 26 represents a truck carrying a bucket, indicated by dotted lines, the con tents of which have been discharged and the bucket deposited on the truck by a returning trolley, and 27 represents a truck carrying a bucket which has been filled and is to be seized and carried by the trolley which has just deposited the empty bucket on the truck 26. I

The dotted lines 28, at Fig. 1 ,merely represent any suitable hopper from which the buckets are filled in the course of their transference to the positions indicated at 26 and 27.

The chains 15 pass around sprocket wheels 29, Fig. 1 driven by any suitable prime vmover 30, and they are guided so that they travel parallel with the railsof the structure by being carried over suitable pulleys, as indicated at Figs. 1 and 1 passing at the upper end over a pulley indicated by dotted lines at 31, Fig. 2. The chains are therefore endless and travel in the direction of the arrows at Figs. 1 and 1 As has been before remarked the rails and the rack 23 are supported by any suitable or approved framework, which naturally does not require any description in the present specification.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows :Upon the descending bucket inclicated at 32, Fig. 1 arriving with its trolley upon the horizontal portion of the lower rails 21 at the base of the structure, the wider gage wheels 14 of the trolley become supported upon the section of broad gage rails 22, and almost immediately the narrow gage wheels 8 of the bucket-supporting axle descend on to the-downwardly bent sectionof the narrow gage rails 21 whereby the pendant yoke, consisting for example of the downwardly extending blades 19, is lowered to such an extent that not only is the empty bucket deposited upon the truck 26, but the jaws of the blades are released from the head of the suspension rod 3. The trolley passes on, leaving the bucket it carried, and with the yoke still in its lowermost position comes beneath the head of the suspension rod of the next filled bucket on the truck 27. Then the wheels 8 of the trolley mount on to the higher level of the lower line of rails 21 and lift the filled bucket, the wheels 13 of the trolley, also engaging these rails, having at the same time the ends 21 of the upperline of narrow gage rails 21 above the wheels. As the trolley is drawn around the end sprocket wheels 29, both pairs of trolley wheels 13 and 8 willbe brought into engagement with the upper line of rails 21, and so as the chain travels will be carried up the upper inclined set of rails 21 with the filled bucket suspended from the said trolley. Upon the particular trolley now being dealt with arriving at the portion of the structure shown at Fig. 2, the wheels 8 and 13 upon reaching about the point marked 21 will cease to be supported, because the rails 21 end at this point, and just before this happens the trolley wheels 14 will engage therails 22 and simultaneously the teeth of the spur wheels 16 of the trolley frame will engage the rack and so the axle 7 of the trolley will be supported. As therefore the trolley wheels 14 pass between the pair of curved track rails 22, being drawn along by the chains 15, the spur wheels 16 will roll on the rack 23 with the result that the trolley axle 7 will be moved vertically downward and will vertically lower the bucket until its body 1' sits upon the top of the furnace, and the suspension rod 3 will continue its descent, opening the bottom of the bucket and allowing the dischargeof the contents to take place.- As the trolley now dealt with continues its travel and the spur wheels 16 continue to roll on the rack 23, while the trolley wheels 14 are carried on the rails 22, the axle 7 of the trolley will be again raised, liftingthe bucket up from the furnace top, and as the movement proceeds reversing the trolley so that as the spur wheels 16 leaixe the end 25 of the rack 23, and the trolley wheels 13 and 8 engage the ends 21 of the narrow gage rails 21, the axle 7 of the trolley will be forward. of the latter during the descent to be again reversed, after the empty bucket has been deposited on the truck 26 and the filled bucket from the truck27 has been picked up as has already been described. Thus according to this invention the operation of the apparatus is continuous, the bucket-carrying trolleys following each other along their endless travel at distances apart which may be found most convenient.

I IVhat I claim as my. inventionand desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. In an apparatus of the kind specified; an endless track, a series of trolleys, each carrying a suspended bucket and adapted to be traversed simultaneously on the said track, and a mechanism for lowering each bucket to effect a discharge of its contents as it arrives at a predetermined part of the said track. 7 2. In apparatus of the kind specified; an

endless inclined track, a series of trolleys adapted to be traversedsimultaneously on said track, means on each trolley to removably support a bucket, mechanism at the upper part of said inclined track to effect the discharge of each bucket as it arrives at'that part of the track, and means at the lower part of said track to effect the automatic removal of each empty bucket as it arrives at the said lower part.

3. In apparatus of the kind specified; an

- endless inclined track, a series of trolleys adapted to be simultaneously traversed on said track, means on each trolley to removably support a bucket, mechanism at the upper part of said inclined track to effect the discharge of each bucket as it arrives at that part of the track, means to effect the automatic removal of each empty bucket as it arrives at the lower part of the track, and means to cause the automatic engagement of a trolley, which has already deposited an empty bucket, with a filled bucket during the traverse of said trolley.

4. In apparatus of the kind specified; a track comprising an upper and a lower pair of inclined superposed rails of narrow gage distanced apart, a horizontal extension at the upper'end of said upper pair of rails, a

pair of railsof broader gage to form a continuation of said upper rails, said broader gage rails being downwardly and then upwardly and again downwardly curved the lower endsof said downwardly curved'rails extending above and adjacent to the upper ends of the lower pair of narrow gage rails and at a distance therefrom, a pair of broader gage rails forming an upper con 'tinuation of said lower narrow gage rails of approximately the same'length and'parallel to and at a distance from the aforesaid broad gage rails of the upper rails, a bucket-carrying trolley traversable on said track and adapted to travelduring its upward movement upon said upper narrow gage rails and to travel upon the broader gage rails during the discharge of the bucket carried bysaid trolley, and means adjacent to said broad gagerails operative upon said trolley to. effect the lowering of said bucket to discharge its contents, and to raise said bucket'after said discharge has been effected. I

5. In apparatus of the kind specified; a track comprising an upper and a lower pair of superposed rails of narrow gage distanced apart, a horizontal lower extension to each pair of rails the end of theextension of the lower rails curving upwardly and extending past and adjacent to downwardly curved ends of the upper rails said lower rails having a depressed portion, a pair of rails of broader gage bridging over said rails at the said depressed portion, a trolley comprising an axle to which a bucket is detachablyconnected, wheels on said axle to run on said narrow gage rails of said lower extension, a rearwardly extending frame on each end of said axle, an outwardly projecting stud axle on each frame, a wheel 'on' each stud axle adapted to run upon the narrow gage rails, a second wheel on each axle adapted to run upon said broader gage bridging rails, means: for traversing said trolley over said rails, and means to enable the disengagement of an empty bucket from said trolley and the later engagement of said trolley with a filled bucket to be effected.

'6. In apparatus of the kind specified; an endless inclined track comprising rails of narrow and broader gage, a series of trolleys, endless chains connecting the trolleys in series, means for traversing said chains to move said trolleys over said track, said trolleys each comprising an axle, a wheel at each end of said axle to run on narrow gage rails of said rail track, a frame supported by said axle, a sleeve rotatably carried by said frame concentrically with said axle, a depending arm on said sleeve, means at the lower end of said arm to detachably engage the upper end of a rod extending through a bucket, an arm on each end of said frame extending at right angles to said axle, a stud axle on each arm, a freely rotatable wheel carried by each stud axle to run on said narrow gage rails, a spur wheel fixed to each of said arms concentrically with said stud axles, and a second loosely mounted wheel on each of said stud axles adapted to engage the broader gage rails at the discharging part of said track, and racks at the discharge portion of said track adapted to engage said spur wheels upon the trolley arriving at that part of the track to cause the axle from which the bucket is suspended to descend to effect the discharge of contents of said bucket and to again raise said axle prior to the trolley and empty bucket being returned to a bucket-charging station, said raising and lowering of the bucket taking place during the continuous movement of the said chains.

7. Apparatus for elevating and discharging loose material such as iron ore and coke comprising an endless track having two pairs of superposed rails, a plurality of trolleys, chains connecting said trolleys and caused to traverse in the direction of said track, buckets detachably connected to said trolleys, means at the lower end of said track to drive said chains and cause the movement of said trolleys over said track, means at the upper end of said track to effect the lowering of each bucket as it arrives at that part to efiiect the discharge of its contents, means to again raise said bucket after said discharge, means at the lower end of said track to effect the disconnection of an empty bucket from its trolley as it reaches that point, and means operative at a later period to connect a filled bucket to the trolley which has just deposited the empty bucket, during the continuous travel of said chains.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

MAX NOELLE.

Witnesses LOUIS VANDORY, l-lAns DUMONT.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

